Ultimatum
by Mutantfan
Summary: Sark faces Sydney with an impossible decision. Love or freindship? Which one does she value more?


Sark smirked smugly as Sydney froze. Only moments before she'd burst in to his hotel room intent on 'brining him to justice'. Now she was frozen with shock, fear and anxiety. He'd got her right where he wanted her. Stuck in the web of his vicious game. "Now, Miss Bristow. What will your choice be?" He teased as he took her gun. "Both are priceless to you and yet you can only have one back." Her eyes flashed with fear.  
She couldn't choose between the two. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" He laughed at her naivety. He didn't want anything, but the perverse pleasure that came from what Sydney was faced with. "I want you to choose. One or the other, or neither." He answered.  
"I can't." She objected. "Just tell me why you're doing this, whatever you want it's yours." He liked the idea of having her at his disposal, but her pain and anguish was worth more. "Choose." He repeatedly dryly. "I can't! Sark, you inhuman bastard, how the hell am I supposed to choose?" "Ip dip?" He suggested. She was on the verge of tears now. She had no choice but to choose one or the other, or loose them both.  
"You have two minutes Sydney. Then you get neither." She stood by the doorway to his hotel room and sighed. Two minutes to make that kind of decision! Sark was sick; he was enjoying every minute of this. "One more minute." He chimed.  
She couldn't do it, but she had no other option, or did she? "Sark, if you want to kill one of them then kill me instead, let them both go, instead of me." He shook his head. "This is much more fun. Besides killing you would mean you wouldn't have to live with the guilt, which will be even more entertaining." "You sick bas..." "Now, now Sydney. I could kill them both, but I'm letting you choose. So, what is your decision? Love or friendship?" She stared down at the screens that showed the two men in separate locations, each with a gun to his head. "Please Sark..." Her tears were flowing freely now. "Kill me instead...please." "Vaughn or Tippin, Sydney. It's decision time." He was unmoved by her tears. She had to decide. So she took out her spare gun and aimed at him.  
  
"They die, you die asshole." He laughed at her and her shaking arm. "What the hell is so funny?"  
"Kill me and you have both their deaths on your conscience. Brilliant plan Sydney. Absolute genius." She scowled and wiped away her tears. "You want me to suffer with guilt? It'll be pretty hard if I'm six feet under!" The gun was aimed at her head and her hand no longer shook. He couldn't let her kill herself, it would mess up Irina's plans, not to mention the fact that she would kill him for driving her daughter to suicide.  
He picked up a radio and muttered something in Russian. The two guns on the screens were handed to Vaughn and Will and then both men were set free. "Happy?" "Ecstatic." She lowered the gun from her head and pointed it at Sark. He smiled his boyish grin and shook his head. "You still don't have the upper hand Sydney." Something struck her head, the butt of a gun. She fell forward and Sark grabbed the gun from her grasp and caught her before she fell to the floor.  
She woke up in the hospital. Vaughn, Will and her father were by her bedside. "Hey, how you doing?" Vaughn asked as he took her hand. "You've got a pretty nasty bump on your head." "You're okay, you and Will?" She needed to know they were okay. "We're fine, thanks to you." Will smiled. "How did you know...?" She began. Vaughn smiled now. "My Russian's pretty good. Sark said over the radio 'the bitch has won, release them and give them the guns."  
"We checked the guns, Sydney. They had no ammunition or triggers. Sark was bluffing." Jack explained. "He never intended to shoot either man." Rage bubbled up within her. He'd tricked her in to pleading, crying and threatening suicide. She turned to Will. "I am so sorry. I keep putting you into these situations. I think you should go into witness protection. It's not safe for you to be around me." Will shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sydney, I'll be with you no matter what. As long as your around I wouldn't dream of witness protection."  
  
Sydney sat in her new apartment with Weiss asleep on the couch, remembering the day when Sark had gotten to her. She now knew why Sark had said she didn't have the upper hand, but she had lost so much to find out. Will was gone, stolen away from her by witness protection and Vaughn, her sweet Vaughn, was now living life as Michael, married to Lauren Reed and prohibited to Sydney. She hadn't chosen that day and so fate had chosen for her. Now she could have neither. 


End file.
